Newtok to Mertarvik: The Relocation of an Alaskan Native Village

By Lauren von Aspen

Sitting 20 miles from the Bering Sea, hugging the Ninglick River, the Alaskan Native village of Newtok lies abandoned. In 2024, the last 71 residents of the town moved themselves and their belongings nine miles away to the new townsite of Mertarvik, joining the 230 residents who had already relocated in 2019. Why? Melting permafrost and storm surge increases, largely caused by climate change, are accelerating the erosion of the Ninglick River and destabilizing the land. 

The Indigenous inhabitants of Newtok, who have lived on the Bering Sea coast for more than 2,000 years, are called the Qaluyaarmiut, translated into English as “dip net people”. They are part of the broader Yup’ik group. The Newtok, and now Mertavik, residents practiced a subsistence lifestyle, participating in the hunting, fishing, and gathering that is so vital to culture and survival in Alaska. As early as 1983, there was concern over the erosion of the riverbank, which through later geological survey was estimated to be losing ground at a rate of 19-88 feet per year. This has been sped up by climate change, especially due to the melting of permafrost. 85% of Alaska’s land sits on top of permafrost; when it thaws, or is hit by warmer coastal water, the permafrost can melt and destabilize the land above. Additionally, the melting of sea ice leaves coastal areas more vulnerable to the dangerous effects of ocean storms. Alaska, being in the Arctic, is warming two to three times faster than the global average. 

It was clear to the residents of Newtok that the land would soon be uninhabitable, with tribal administrator Calvin Tom stating that it was “not a place to live anymore”. Homes were too close to the erosion of the river and the power poles were tilting, to the point that one storm would likely permanently cut off power to the town. So instead of trying to hold back the river, which would be costly and fairly futile, the people of Newtok made the decision to relocate across the river. This was not without difficulty– despite filing for a land swap with the federal government in 1996, it was not approved until 2003. And relocation was gradual, which caused difficulties; for several years, the school and grocery store was still located in Newtok, leaving some students and teachers separated from their families during the school year. 

The town of Newtok is not the only Indigenous Arctic community under threat. In Alaska alone, 144 Indigenous communities face some degree of infrastructure damage from erosion, flooding, or permafrost melt. Relocation costs are high as there is little federal funding offered to face this issue. 

But Mertavik, which means “getting water from the stream”, provides hope for the Qaluyaarmiut. It’s a promise that their ways of living will not end with the erosion, and that cultures and traditions can continue in this new town. After five years of separation, all residents are now reunited. Mertarvik is now one of the first examples of an Alaskan Native village completing a full-scale relocation, but it will likely not be the last. 

Citations

(2017). The Village – Newtok. Relocate Newtok. relocatenewtok.org/about/.

Bowmer, R, and Thiessen, M (2024). Climate Change Destroyed an Alaska Village. Its Residents Are Starting over in a New Town. AP News. apnews.com/article/climate-change-permafrost-melting-alaska-newtok-relocation-moving-292694f057b75f75a9438c794853ee25.

Newtok History: Part One. Division of Community and Regional Affairs, State of Alaska. www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/dcra/planninglandmanagement/NewtokPlanningGroup/NewtokVillageRelocationHistory/NewtokHistoryPartOne.aspx.

Newtok Planning Group. Department of Commerce, Community, and Regional Affairs, State of Alaska. www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/dcra/planninglandmanagement/newtokplanninggroup.aspx.